A recent scientific review from the journal “Food, Nutrition and Health” compared many different types of tea: green, black, white, oolong and dark. They all come from the same plant. But once processing begins, things change both chemically and biologically. Green and white teas are minimally processed, preserving catechins like EGCG which are the compounds most people associate with “anti-cancer” and anti-inflammatory effects.

Black tea on the other hand is fully oxidized, transforming those catechins into theaflavins and thearubigins, which appear to play a stronger role in cardiovascular health and glucose regulation.

Oolong sits in between green and black. “Dark” teas take it even further, undergoing fermentation that reshapes their chemistry entirely and shifts their influence toward your gut microbiome and metabolic function.

So here’s the bottom line: There is no “best” tea. Each one targets a different biological pathway. Depending on the tea, you can affect oxidation, inflammation, lipid metabolism, gut health or even cognitive function.

So if you’re drinking green tea every day because you heard it’s “healthy,” you’re not wrong, I would just suggest you consider a tea rotation 😁